Family Bites

From Absinthe to Zest ( A Giveaway)

These days it seems that everywhere I look, I'm spotting copies of the gorgeously designed Great Food series of books, which have recently been re-released by Penguin.  I've been to my local Chapters, independent book store and home goods store in the past week and I've seen these lovely things on display at each location.

 

Combining three of my favourite things, food, history and brilliant design, these little tomes are a collection of some of the best food writing from the past 400 years.  

Seeing that I kept spotting them wherever I went, I took it as a sign that I need to grab a few copies for myself.  Guess what?  They're utterly delicious. In fact, I love these books so much, I'm even considering placing them in a memory-box style frame and hanging them on a wall.  They are that pretty.

Naturally, I would like to give two of these books away to one lucky Family Bites reader.  In order to enter, please leave a comment telling me the best book you've read this summer.  For additional entries, you can "like" Family Bites on Facebook.

Winners will be announced on Monday August 15th!

 Update:  Congratulations to Andrea!  You have won the books giveaway.

 

The Magic of Soup (Creamy Carrot and Cumin Puree)

I think I should write a book.  

The title of my book would be "The Magic of Soup", and it's the tale of a persnickety young boy who seemingly detests the beautiful, seasonal vegetables his mother places before him each night at dinner.  

He wriggles and whines, complains and cajoles and takes far too long to finish all of his meals.  

One day his brilliant mother decides that instead of fighting him about his vegetables, she's going to turn each of the ground-grown foods he bellyaches about into a pureed soup.  She will entice him to try it by adding a few toasted croutons, or some crumbled cheese, to the top of the bowl, and he will be wooed to at least sample what's she offering because it looks too good to pass up.  

He will sip and slurp, and decide that this new food she's making is some of the best he's tasted.  And he will ask her to prepare foods like this for every meal. She feigns surprise at his sudden approval of her provisions, all the while giggling inside because she knows she's actually been giving him even more veggies than he was originally eating.  They've just been disguised in a bowl of the creamy goodness she's placed before him.

Of course, this story has a happy ending. The mother decides to take the opportunity to feed her boy as many soups as she can, especially since he's enjoying them so much.  And the boy? Well, he feels strong and full, and grateful that his mother has decided to stop feeding him those horrid veggies.  

The end.

Creamy Carrot and Cumin Puree (with no cream)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 5 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons arborio rice
• 4 cups chicken or veggie stock
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta

Heat the oil in a large pot, set over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, celery and carrots and sautee until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the salt, cumin and rice and sautee for an additional two minutes, or until the veggies are slightly browned and fragrant.

Add the stock and the water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.  Cover and let simmer for approximately one hour. 

Remove from the stove and allow to cool.  Puree using an immersion blender.  Serve with crumbled feta and fresh ground pepper.

 

2010 in Review: My Favourite Cookbooks

I adore Top Ten lists.  From movies to music, and news stories to books, I love taking a look back at the best of the year.  These lists are subjective of course, which is what makes them so interesting.  I'm turning love into action this week with a series of  "2010 in Review" posts.  I've compiled my top ten cookbooks, food blogs and personal recipes, and will share them here in three individual posts, this week. 

First up is cookbooks.  If you have some free time on your hands this week, or a few dollars in gift cards waiting to be spent, any of the following would be a great addition to your family cooking library.  Honestly, I'm smitten with them all.

 

       

Time for Dinner: Put together by the editors of Cookie magazine, this is a wonderful family diner primer packed full of great and interesting ideas.

 Gourmet Cookie Book: Showcasing the single best cookie recipe the (now-defunct) magazine published from 1941-2009, there is a cookie for everyone in this book.  And the historical notes that accompany each recipe are almost as interesting as the cookies themselves.

Around my French Table: Anyone with an affinity for all things French, or great French cooking, will welcome this book to their library.  The photos are stunning and it would make for a lovely coffee table book, as well.

 

         

Quinoa 365: I've been wanting to learn more about this superfood, and this book is an excellent resource packed full of nutritional notes and tasty recipes. 

Jamie's Food Revolution: Based on one of the most popular TV shows this past year, this cookbook will allow you to start your own food revolution at home.

 

       

My Bread: For the bread bakers everywhere, both novice and professional, Jim Lahey's no-knead dough has been a big hit over the internet, and in my kitchen, for the past year.   

As Always, Julia: This isn't a cookbook, but rather a series of letters exchanged between Julia Child and Avis DeVoto.  I've placed it here though because I challenge you to not learn something from this read.  The letters are chock-full of cooking tips and recipe ideas, and the entire book is a joy to read.

Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That? I adore Ina, and all that she cooks, and her latest cookbook is a compilation of easy foods that anyone can put together.

 

      

The Family Dinner: Perhaps the most important part of our day, and the thing that influences most of what we do (jobs, extra-curriculars, etc.), is our family dinner.  Sadly, this evening meal is going by the wayside for many people.  This resource is full of ideas, recipes, games and tools for making dinner a priority for every family again.

Perfect One-Dish Dinners: I love a good one-dish meal and this book is full of ideas for them.  An excellent entertaining resource, you'll be able to cook for a crowd with no trouble as long as this book is by your side.

What were some of your favourite cookbooks this past year?

Holiday Happiness: Cookbook Giveaway

This is second of four cookbook giveaways happening here at Family Bites.  I love books almost as much as I love to cook, and when the two come together, well, I get pretty excited.

Today's book giveaway is one of my favourites.  Written by the editors of Cookie magazine, it's a book dedicated to all things related to the family dinner.  Dubbed as the "playbook of tricks, inspiration, plans and 100 go-to recipes, it's a visual toolkit of a book giving every mom ideas for getting food on the table night after night without losing her mind". I've perused the pages over and over ,and I love honestly love everything tucked within them.

Jenny, one of the authors, and a former editor for both Cookie and Real Simple, kindly sent me a copy of this book to give away to one of my readers.  Feel free to enter, whether you live in Canada, the US or worldwide. Good luck!

Giveaway details:

• Leave a comment on this post to enter.   You have until this Friday (December 3rd) at 6pm to enter.
• Add me to your reader or email for an additional entry (leave a comment to let me know you've done so).
• Alternative winner will be chosen if you don't claim your win within 3 days.  

 

Holiday Happiness: Cookbook Giveaway

                               
 

It's no secret how much I love a good book.  And a good cook book?  Well, that's just perfection as far as I'm concerned.  So, in the spirit of the upcoming holiday season I wanted to share some of my book love with you. 

The kind people at Thomas Allen & Son Ltd. sent me a stack of books this week, and it only seems right that I share one or two of them with you.  So, for the next four Wednesdays that's exactly what I'm going to do.  I have a kids cookbook, a baking book, a dinner cookbook and a foodie memoir ready to send your way.

                            

Today's giveaway is Christmas Cooking with Kids (the awesome snowman cake above is one of the projects), by English author, Annie Rigg. What a charming book!  I spent quite a while flipping through the pages last night and I promise you, this book isn't just for kids.  I would make so many of the goodies tuck within the pages myself.

A great gift for any little cook or baker on your Christmas list, or possibly even just an addition to your personal cookbook library, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this read.  I have the copy, ready in hand, and I will be shipping it out to the lucky recipient this Saturdayafternoon, which means you should receive it in plenty of time for the holidays.  Please check below for giveaway instructions and good luck!

Giveaway details:

• Leave a comment on this post to enter.   You have until this Friday (November 26th) at 6pm to enter.
• Add me to your reader or email for an additional entry (leave a comment to let me know you've done so).
• Alternative winner will be chosen if you don't claim your win within 3 days. 
  
  

 

Cookbook Love: A Wishlist

 

My heart beats hard for few things in life.  My three guys top the list, books and all forms of the written word come in second and food runs a close third.  That's right,  I would choose books over food if I had to, but thankfully I don't, and I'm able to enjoy a life enriched by both eating and reading. 

The great thing about my two passions is that there is no need for them to be separate from each other. This means I can read about food, eating and cooking and that makes me a ridiculously happy person.  I love all forms of cookbooks and I used to gravitate to those with large glossy photos and fanciful foods.  Now, I prefer those which are well written and ooze of simple, rustic edibles. But most importantly I love the ones that I can also learn from.

I keep a book "wishlist" in the small notebook tucked inside my purse.  Some people carry around a shopping list or a to-do list but I keep track of the books I want to read, buy or give to someone else.  I have a page devoted to novels, one to kids books and a third to cookbooks.  Here is what is currently on my little list:

I have yet to cook anything from the Barefoot Contessa's collection of recipes that wasn't fabulous. Most of her foods are butter-rich and calorie high but oh.my.heart.  They are so, so good.  I've seen a progression to healthier foods over the course of cookbooks and I'm excited and hopeful to get this one soon. 

I'm somewhat ashamed to say that I don't have a great amount of knowledge on the subject of Quinoa.  I know all about it's healthy benefits, and I do enjoy it, but I'm not very creative in how I use it.  I'm hoping this collection of recipes will expand my repertoire and teach me more about this grainy superfood.

                     

I love Melissa Clark's writing.  As soon as I read a few words of whatever she's written I'm immediately transported to a place where I can taste the food she's sharing.  I have no doubt this book will be just as brilliant as anything else she's written, and I know it's just the sort of book I've been known to cozy up and read in bed on a Sunday night.

                               

Those who know me well are astutely aware of my penchant for all things French. This affinity was fostered by the time I spent living in France and there is very little about the culture that I don't adore.  Their food is at the top of the list, and what could be better than reading about and cooking French food as written by Dorie Greenspan.  If I end up with this book at some point, you can be sure it will find a place on my coffee table and not just on my bookshelf.

 

I was fortunate enough to catch a sneak peak of this book while I was out at a meeting last week and it's a gem.  Packed full of tips, information, games and so much more (including recipes!) I can't wait to get a copy on my bookshelf.  Family dinner has become the most important part of my day, for it's the time I'm really able to talk with my kids.  And let me tell you, once they start they don't stop(which is a good thing).  I'm just hoping this book has some tips on how not to choke on your food when your kids decide to ask those burning "birds and bees" questions while you're chewing.

What books are you enjoying?  Any good ones on your wishlist these days?

Homemade Fun - A Review and a Giveaway

               
 

I first "met" Rae Grant last summer when she emailed me to talk about our shared love of cooking with our kids.  She was reading my blog, while I was reading her book and she made the first move to get in touch.  One year later, we're still corresponding and while we've yet to sit-down for a cup of tea face to face (we almost made it this past Spring when I was in New York), I feel as though I know her well.

So, imagine my delight when she got in touch this past June to ask if wanted to be a reviewer for her forthcoming book Homemade Fun.  Already a fan of Cooking Fun, I was thrilled to get a sneak peak at Rae's new work.  And she did not disappoint.

 

An ode to childhood, Homemade Fun, is a treasure trove of simple, fun and easy activities for children.  With chapters separating the activities into categories like Hand Sewing and Embroidery, Building Things, Baking, Papercrafts and Toys, Games and Pastimes, there is truly something for everyone in this gem of a book.   When the package first arrived I sat and eagerly devoured each page, with it's old-fashioned fonts and retro design, mentally marking all of the activities I wanted the boys to try.  When I reached the baking section, not one recipe was left of the list. 

The first we tackled was Rae's popovers.  Requiring only four ingredients, I though this would be something Ben could approach on his own.  And I was right.  A  quick pantry consultation and review of the methods required left him feeling capable of producing a tasty treat.  As you can see from his brother's reaction, I think he succeeded.

 

  

Today I have one copy of Rae's book to give away to a lucky reader.  To enter leave a comment at the end of the post (you don't have to have a blog just an email address so I can get in touch).  For an additional entry, tweet about the giveaway or link back to this blog post.  Contest closes at midnight Friday July 16th.  Good luck!  

UPDATED:  Congratulations to Tricia!  The random number generator choose comment #5 and you have won a copy of Rae's book, Homemade Fun.

 

Home Cooking

 

I'm an avid reader, are you?  One of my most favourite things to do is curl up with a good book and cup of tea or glass of wine and read the night away.  

Lately I've been enjoying foodie memoirs (I'm sure you're really shocked!) and among them Home Cooking, by Laurie Colwin. Described by The New York Times Book Review "as much memoir as cookbook and as much about eating as cooking", I don't think I could write a better depiction myself.  An American novelist with a passion for cooking, Colwin wrote for Gourmet for a few years before her untimely death at a young age.  The book is fantastic and if you like to read and cook and eat I doubt you will be disappointed.

Are you reading any great foodie books this summer? Please do share.....

Pizza Patate

I have a new best friend and his name is Jim Lahey.  We've actually become quite close over the past few months, spending plenty of time together in my kitchen perfecting the art of homemade bread and pizza dough.  My favourite thing to make and bake also happens to be his as well, so it's a friendship destined to last, I'm sure. 

Don't worry, Rob has no concerns about this new friendship.  In fact, he wholeheartedly supports it and reaps the benefits of our time together.  By the way, I don't actually know Jim, but I do know his new book and it has a permanent spot on my bookshelf filed under "new-favourite-must-cook-from-often".  I've spent so much time with it lately that it actually does feel like Jim and I are new best friends.

Aside from his fabulous no-knead bread recipe, I'm also completely smitten with the pizza patate recipe nestled about halfway into the pages of the book.  Potato-topped pizza dough embellished with onion, fresh rosemary and ground pepper makes for quite the tasty dinner.  And despite the fancy sounding title this is truly a no-fuss-no-muss recipe designed to feed the entire family.  Because I'm your good friend, I think it's only fitting I share the recipe with you - after all, isn't that what friends are for?

Pizza Patate, adapted from My Bread

• 6 litres lukewarm water
  
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
  
• 6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
  
• 1 yellow onion, diced
  
• Fresh ground pepper (about 10 cranks of the grinder)
  
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
  
• 1 recipe pizza dough (Use your favourite recipe - here's mine)
  

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. 

In a medium bowl combine the water and salt, stirring until the salt has dissolved.  Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes very thin (1/16 inch thick) and put the slices in to the salt water.  Let soak for  1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are no longer crisp.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a medium bowl and toss together with onion, pepper and olive oil.

Spread the potato mixture evenly over the rolled out dough, going all the way to t edges but putting a it more of the topping around the edges as the outsides tend to cook a little more quickly.  Sprinkle with rosemary.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping turns golden brown.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

 

How did I not read this book until now?  I've certainly heard of it and observed the large display in my local bookstore , yet, somehow it escaped me, despite being a fan of Barbara Kingsolver's other novels. Until now that is.   And let me tell ya...it was so worth the wait. 

I'm only halfway through the adventure, but I'm completely and utterly enthralled with this tale of a family uprooting their lives in Arizona and re-locating to Virginia in search of the locavore lifestyle.  Foodies will delight and devour this book, and foodies with a family should consider this an essential read for sure.

Next to food, books are my main source of entertainment.  So when I read something that marries my two loves, I'm delighted.  Do you have any foodie favourites?  Please leave your recommendations and I'll compile a list for another post.  Wouldn't it be great to have an online foodie book club?  Now, that would be fun.